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List of major generals in the United States Regular Army before July 1, 1920
This is a complete list of major generals in the United States Regular Army before July 1, 1920. For most of the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, the rank of major general was the highest possible in the Regular Army. It was also one of the rarest: until 1915, there were at most eight major generals on active duty at any given time. Even when the Army expanded during times of war, the number of Regular Army major generals remained relatively constant because instead of increasing the permanent military establishment to meet transient wartime needs, the Regular Army was used as a cadre for a vast non-permanent establishment of volunteer and conscript forces. Many of the most famous major generals of the American Civil War held that rank only in the volunteer service, and reverted to a much lower permanent grade in the Regular Army when the volunteer force was disbanded after the war.Wade (1976). The number of Regular Army major generals increased dramatically when the Army was reorganized after World War I. The new peacetime establishment maintained a total of 34 active-duty major generals, including 21 major generals of the line and 13 major generals of the staff. The reorganization took effect on July 1, 1920. Taxonomy Historically, the United States Army included two components: the permanently established Regular Army, which constituted the peacetime force; and, during time of war, a much larger non-permanent establishment comprising various volunteer, conscript, and federalized state forces.The Army Register separately lists each officer's appointments in the permanent and non-permanent establishments of the United States Army. Appointments in the volunteers, National Army, or National Guard are listed under the non-permanent establishment, as are temporary appointments in the United States Army, while Regular Army and emergency general officer appointments are listed under the permanent establishment. There were three types of major generals in the Regular Army: * A major general of the line was an officer who was commissioned in the permanent grade of major general and therefore maintained that rank regardless of assignment. * A major general of the staff was an officer who held the temporary rank of major general only while occupying an office designated by statute to carry that rank, and who reverted to a lower permanent grade upon relinquishing that office. * An emergency major general was an officer whose Regular Army rank of major general was authorized only during the World War I emergency, which expired on June 30, 1920. Major generals in the non-permanent or non-federal establishments included the following: * A major general of militia was appointed or elected to that rank in one of the state militia forces. * A major general of levies was appointed to that rank in the six-month levies raised during the Northwest Indian War.Fry, pp. 70–71. * A major general of volunteers was appointed to that rank in the United States Volunteers during the War of 1812, the Mexican War, the Civil War, or the Spanish-American War.For lists of major generals in the United States Volunteers, see Heitman or Eicher and Eicher. * A major general in the Provisional Army was appointed to that rank in the Provisional Army authorized during the Quasi-War. * A major general in the National Guard was appointed to that rank in one of the state National Guard forces. * A major general in the National Army was appointed to that rank in the National Army during World War I before August 7, 1918, when the Regular Army, the National Army, and the federalized National Guard were unified into a single United States Army. * A temporary major general was appointed to that rank in the non-permanent establishment of the unified United States Army after August 7, 1918. In addition, honorary brevet ranks of major general were conferred in several organizations in recognition of gallant wartime conduct.During the War of 1812, brevet major generals were functionally equivalent to substantive major generals, but over the ensuing decades brevet ranks lost their authority and became strictly honorary distinctions. For background, see Fry. * A brevet major general was awarded that brevet rank in the Regular Army, typically for actions in the War of 1812, the Mexican War, or the Civil War. * A brevet major general of volunteers was awarded that brevet rank in the United States Volunteers, typically for actions in the Civil War or the Spanish-American War. * A brevet major general of militia was awarded that brevet rank in one of the state militia forces. List of Regular Army major generals before July 1, 1920 The following list of major generals includes all officers appointed to that rank in the line or staff of the Regular Army prior to July 1, 1920, including emergency major generals.The list of major generals before 1903 is taken principally from Heitman, pp. 19–20. Major generals after 1903 are taken from the Army Register (1907, 1912, 1922), Eicher and Eicher, and Cullum. It does not include officers who held that rank solely by brevet or in the non-permanent or non-federal establishment, such as major generals of militia or volunteers, major generals in the National Guard or National Army, or temporary major generals. Entries are indexed by the numerical order in which each officer was appointed to that rank while on active duty, or by an asterisk (*) if the officer did not serve in that rank while on active duty. Each entry lists the officer's name; date of rank;Dates of rank are taken from Heitman or the Army Register (1907, 1912, 1922, 1936, 1945). date the officer vacated the active-duty rank;Dates vacated are taken from Heitman or the Army Register. An officer could vacate the active-duty rank of major general via death, retirement, promotion to a higher permanent grade, or reversion to a lower permanent grade upon relinquishing an office bearing the statutory rank of major general. number of years on active duty as major general (Yrs);The number of years on active duty as major general is taken to be the difference between the officer's date of rank and the date on which his active duty commission as major general was vacated, rounded to the nearest whole year. It includes periods during which the officer served at a higher brevet or temporary rank without vacating a permanent grade of major general, but not periods during which the officer reverted to a lower permanent grade after serving as a major general of the staff. and other biographical notes.Biographical notes include years of birth and death; dates of promotion to higher permanent grade; dates of brevet rank; dates of service as major general or higher in the staff or non-permanent establishment; and other unusual career events such as death in office or awards of the Medal of Honor, Thanks of Congress, Congressional Gold Medal, or Congressional Sword. Dates are taken from Heitman, the Army Register, Eicher and Eicher, or Marquis Who's Who. The list is sortable by active-duty appointment order, last name, date of rank, date vacated, and number of years on active duty as major general. Timeline By June 30, 1920, there were 10 major generals of the line (maj.gen. 1–10) and 10 major generals of the staff: the Quartermaster General (Q.m.Gen.), the Surgeon General (Surg.Gen.), the Chief of Coast Artillery (C.of C.A.), the Adjutant General (Adj.Gen.), the Inspector General (Insp.Gen.), the Judge Advocate General (J.A.G.), the Chief of Engineers (C.of Eng.), the Chief of Ordnance (C.of Ord.), the Chief Signal Officer (C.S.O.), and the Chief of the Bureau of Insular Affairs (C.of B.I.A.). An officer held the permanent grade of major general (Maj.gen.) until his death; retirement; or promotion to a higher permanent grade such as lieutenant general (Lt.gen.), general (Gen.), or General of the Armies (Gen.Armies). Staff or brevet appointments to lieutenant general (Lt.gen.*) or general did not vacate the officer's permanent grade of major general; nor did appointments as major general of volunteers or in the National Army (vols.), or as emergency lieutenant general or general. ImageSize = width:800 height:auto barincrement:10 PlotArea = top:50 bottom:50 right:130 left:20 AlignBars = late Colors = id:gen value:rgb(0,1,0) legend: Gen./Gen.Armies id:ltg value:rgb(1,0,0) legend: Lt.gen. id:ltgb value:rgb(1,0.75,0.75) legend: Lt.gen.* id:mg value:rgb(0,0,1) legend: Maj.gen._(line) id:mgstaff value:rgb(0.75,0.75,1) legend: Maj.gen._(staff) id:mgv value:rgb(0,1,1) legend: Maj.gen._(vols.) id:mgna value:rgb(0,1,1) id:time value:rgb(1,1,1) id:era value:rgb(0.75,0.75,0.75) id:erabar value:rgb(0,0,0) Legend = orientation:vertical position:right # EasyTimeline does not support dd/mm/yyyy format before the year # 1800, so the following hacks are required: # # 1) All dates are incremented by 100 years. # # 2) Instead of using ScaleMajor to create the timescale at the # bottom of the plot, we implement the year labels and tick # lines manually. This also lets us create a duplicate # timescale at the top of the plot. DateFormat = dd/mm/yyyy Period = from:01/01/1890 till:01/01/2035 TimeAxis = orientation:horizontal # ScaleMajor is required and there is no way to prevent it from # writing at least one year label (incorrectly, since we # have incorrectly incremented all dates by 100 years), so we # minimize the damage by allowing it to write an incorrect year # that can be mostly masked when overwritten by a correct year # (1900 > 1800). ScaleMajor = unit:year increment:1000 start:01/01/1900 # Uncomment the following ScaleMajor line to check the alignment # of manual ticks and year labels with the automatically placed # ScaleMajor ticks and labels. #ScaleMajor = unit:year increment:10 start:01/01/1890 # Manually hardcoded positions of timescale labels and tick lines. Define $lefttime = 20 Define $righttime = 670 Define $toptime = 1630 Define $toptimetick = 1635 Define $toptimetext = 1640 Define $bottomtime = 50 Define $bottomtimetick = 45 Define $bottomtimetext = 31 Define $time1790 = 8 Define $tick1790 = 20 Define $time1800 = 52 Define $tick1800 = 64 Define $time1810 = 97 Define $tick1810 = 109 Define $time1820 = 142 Define $tick1820 = 154 Define $time1830 = 187 Define $tick1830 = 199 Define $time1840 = 231 Define $tick1840 = 244 Define $time1850 = 276 Define $tick1850 = 288 Define $time1860 = 321 Define $tick1860 = 333 Define $time1870 = 366 Define $tick1870 = 378 Define $time1880 = 411 Define $tick1880 = 423 Define $time1890 = 455 Define $tick1890 = 468 Define $time1900 = 500 Define $tick1900 = 513 Define $time1910 = 544 Define $tick1910 = 557 Define $time1920 = 589 Define $tick1920 = 602 Define $time1930 = 634 Define $tick1930 = 647 Define $topY = 1590 Define $topYtext1 = 1595 Define $topYtext2 = 1610 Define $rightX = 730 Define $rightXtext = 735 Define $majgen1top = 1330 Define $majgen1 = 1225 Define $majgen2top = 1156 Define $majgen2 = 1016 Define $majgen3top = 958 Define $majgen3 = 778 Define $majgen4top = 749 Define $majgen4 = 629 Define $majgen5top = 619 Define $majgen5 = 579 Define $majgen6top = 570 Define $majgen6 = 510 Define $qmgentop = 480 Define $qmgen = 450 Define $surggentop = 420 Define $surggen = 400 Define $majgen7top = 371 Define $majgen7 = 341 Define $cofcatop = 331 Define $cofca = 311 Define $majgen8top = 301 Define $majgen8 = 291 Define $majgen9top = 281 Define $majgen9 = 271 Define $majgen10top = 261 Define $majgen10 = 241 Define $adjgentop = 232 Define $adjgen = 212 Define $inspgentop = 202 Define $inspgen = 192 Define $jagtop = 182 Define $jag = 172 Define $cofengtop = 162 Define $cofeng = 142 Define $cofordtop = 132 Define $coford = 112 Define $csotop = 102 Define $cso = 92 Define $cofbiatop = 82 Define $cofbia = 72 Define $now = 30/06/2020 LineData = layer:back width:1.0 color:erabar points:($rightX,$majgen1)($rightX,$majgen1top) points:($rightX,$majgen2)($rightX,$majgen2top) points:($rightX,$majgen3)($rightX,$majgen3top) points:($rightX,$majgen4)($rightX,$majgen4top) points:($rightX,$majgen5)($rightX,$majgen5top) points:($rightX,$majgen6)($rightX,$majgen6top) points:($rightX,$qmgen)($rightX,$qmgentop) points:($rightX,$surggen)($rightX,$surggentop) points:($rightX,$majgen7)($rightX,$majgen7top) points:($rightX,$cofca)($rightX,$cofcatop) points:($rightX,$majgen8)($rightX,$majgen8top) points:($rightX,$majgen9)($rightX,$majgen9top) points:($rightX,$majgen10)($rightX,$majgen10top) points:($rightX,$adjgen)($rightX,$adjgentop) points:($rightX,$inspgen)($rightX,$inspgentop) points:($rightX,$jag)($rightX,$jagtop) points:($rightX,$cofeng)($rightX,$cofengtop) points:($rightX,$coford)($rightX,$cofordtop) points:($rightX,$cso)($rightX,$csotop) points:($rightX,$cofbia)($rightX,$cofbiatop) width:0.5 color:era at:$now frompos:60 tillpos:$topY at:01/01/1890 at:03/08/1895 at:07/07/1898 at:30/09/1900 at:18/06/1912 at:23/03/1915 at:25/04/1946 at:02/02/1948 at:12/04/1961 at:09/04/1965 at:25/04/1998 at:12/08/1998 at:04/02/1999 at:04/07/2002 at:06/04/2017 at:28/06/2019 # Top and bottom timescale tick lines. color:erabar points:($lefttime,$toptime)($righttime,$toptime) # points:($righttime,$toptime)($righttime,$bottomtime) points:($tick1790,$toptime)($tick1790,$toptimetick) points:($tick1800,$toptime)($tick1800,$toptimetick) points:($tick1810,$toptime)($tick1810,$toptimetick) points:($tick1820,$toptime)($tick1820,$toptimetick) points:($tick1830,$toptime)($tick1830,$toptimetick) points:($tick1840,$toptime)($tick1840,$toptimetick) points:($tick1850,$toptime)($tick1850,$toptimetick) points:($tick1860,$toptime)($tick1860,$toptimetick) points:($tick1870,$toptime)($tick1870,$toptimetick) points:($tick1880,$toptime)($tick1880,$toptimetick) points:($tick1890,$toptime)($tick1890,$toptimetick) points:($tick1900,$toptime)($tick1900,$toptimetick) points:($tick1910,$toptime)($tick1910,$toptimetick) points:($tick1920,$toptime)($tick1920,$toptimetick) points:($tick1930,$toptime)($tick1930,$toptimetick) points:($tick1790,$bottomtime)($tick1790,$bottomtimetick) points:($tick1800,$bottomtime)($tick1800,$bottomtimetick) points:($tick1810,$bottomtime)($tick1810,$bottomtimetick) points:($tick1820,$bottomtime)($tick1820,$bottomtimetick) points:($tick1830,$bottomtime)($tick1830,$bottomtimetick) points:($tick1840,$bottomtime)($tick1840,$bottomtimetick) points:($tick1850,$bottomtime)($tick1850,$bottomtimetick) points:($tick1860,$bottomtime)($tick1860,$bottomtimetick) points:($tick1870,$bottomtime)($tick1870,$bottomtimetick) points:($tick1880,$bottomtime)($tick1880,$bottomtimetick) points:($tick1890,$bottomtime)($tick1890,$bottomtimetick) points:($tick1900,$bottomtime)($tick1900,$bottomtimetick) points:($tick1910,$bottomtime)($tick1910,$bottomtimetick) points:($tick1920,$bottomtime)($tick1920,$bottomtimetick) points:($tick1930,$bottomtime)($tick1930,$bottomtimetick) TextData = tabs:(0-right) # Top and bottom timescale year labels. fontsize:8 pos:($time1790,$toptimetext) text:1790 pos:($time1800,$toptimetext) text:1800 pos:($time1810,$toptimetext) text:1810 pos:($time1820,$toptimetext) text:1820 pos:($time1830,$toptimetext) text:1830 pos:($time1840,$toptimetext) text:1840 pos:($time1850,$toptimetext) text:1850 pos:($time1860,$toptimetext) text:1860 pos:($time1870,$toptimetext) text:1870 pos:($time1880,$toptimetext) text:1880 pos:($time1890,$toptimetext) text:1890 pos:($time1900,$toptimetext) text:1900 pos:($time1910,$toptimetext) text:1910 pos:($time1920,$toptimetext) text:1920 pos:($time1930,$toptimetext) text:1930 pos:($time1790,$bottomtimetext) text:1790 pos:($time1800,$bottomtimetext) text:1800 pos:($time1810,$bottomtimetext) text:1810 pos:($time1820,$bottomtimetext) text:1820 pos:($time1830,$bottomtimetext) text:1830 pos:($time1840,$bottomtimetext) text:1840 pos:($time1850,$bottomtimetext) text:1850 pos:($time1860,$bottomtimetext) text:1860 pos:($time1870,$bottomtimetext) text:1870 pos:($time1880,$bottomtimetext) text:1880 pos:($time1890,$bottomtimetext) text:1890 pos:($time1900,$bottomtimetext) text:1900 pos:($time1910,$bottomtimetext) text:1910 pos:($time1920,$bottomtimetext) text:1920 pos:($time1930,$bottomtimetext) text:1930 fontsize:9 pos:(142,$topYtext2) text:^Northwest Indian War pos:(115,$topYtext1) text:^Quasi-War pos:(190,$topYtext1) text:^War of 1812 pos:(284,$topYtext1) text:^Mexican War pos:(361,$topYtext1) text:^Civil War pos:(512,$topYtext2) text:^Spanish-American War pos:(528,$topYtext1) text:^Philippine-American War pos:(605,$topYtext1) text:^World War I pos:($rightXtext,$majgen1) text:maj.gen. 1 pos:($rightXtext,$majgen2) text:maj.gen. 2 pos:($rightXtext,$majgen3) text:maj.gen. 3 pos:($rightXtext,$majgen4) text:maj.gen. 4 pos:($rightXtext,$majgen5) text:maj.gen. 5 pos:($rightXtext,$majgen6) text:maj.gen. 6 pos:($rightXtext,$qmgen) text:Q.m.Gen. pos:($rightXtext,$surggen) text:Surg.Gen. pos:($rightXtext,$majgen7) text:maj.gen. 7 pos:($rightXtext,$cofca) text:C.of C.A. pos:($rightXtext,$majgen8) text:maj.gen. 8 pos:($rightXtext,$majgen9) text:maj.gen. 9 pos:($rightXtext,$majgen10) text:maj.gen. 10 pos:($rightXtext,$adjgen) text:Adj.Gen. pos:($rightXtext,$inspgen) text:Insp.Gen. pos:($rightXtext,$jag) text:J.A.G. pos:($rightXtext,$cofeng) text:C.of Eng. pos:($rightXtext,$coford) text:C.of Ord. pos:($rightXtext,$cso) text:C.S.O. pos:($rightXtext,$cofbia) text:C.of B.I.A. 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Howard" bar:crook from: 21/10/1964 till: 15/01/1966 color:mgv bar:crook from: 06/04/1988 till: 21/03/1990 color:mg text:"George Crook" bar:miles from: 21/10/1965 till: 01/09/1966 color:mgv bar:miles from: 05/04/1990 till: 06/06/2000 color:mg bar:miles from: 06/06/2000 till: 02/02/2001 color:ltgb bar:miles from: 02/02/2001 till: 08/08/2003 color:ltg text:"Nelson A. Miles" bar:mccook from: 17/07/1962 till: 21/10/1965 color:mgv bar:mccook from: 09/11/1994 till: 22/04/1995 color:mg text:"Alexander M. McCook" bar:ruger from: 08/02/1995 till: 02/04/1997 color:mg text:"Thomas H. Ruger" bar:merritt from: 01/04/1965 till: 01/02/1966 color:mgv bar:merritt from: 25/04/1995 till: 16/06/2000 color:mg text:"Wesley Merritt" bar:wheatonfrank from: 02/04/1997 till: 09/05/1997 color:mg text:"Frank Wheaton" bar:forsyth from: 11/05/1997 till: 14/05/1997 color:mg text:"James W. Forsyth" bar:blisszenas from: 14/05/1997 till: 22/05/1997 color:mg text:"Zenas R. Bliss" bar:brooke from: 22/05/1997 till: 21/07/2002 color:mg text:"John R. Brooke" bar:corbin from: 06/06/2000 till: 15/04/2006 color:mgstaff bar:corbin from: 15/04/2006 till: 15/09/2006 color:ltg text:"Henry C. Corbin" bar:otis from: 04/05/1998 till: 16/06/2000 color:mgv bar:otis from: 16/06/2000 till: 25/03/2002 color:mg text:"Elwell S. Otis" bar:young from: 08/07/1998 till: 13/04/1999 color:mgv bar:young from: 02/02/2001 till: 08/08/2003 color:mg bar:young from: 08/08/2003 till: 09/01/2004 color:ltg text:"Samuel B. M. Young" bar:chaffee from: 08/07/1998 till: 13/04/1999 color:mgv bar:chaffee from: 19/07/2000 till: 04/02/2001 color:mgv bar:chaffee from: 04/02/2001 till: 09/01/2004 color:mg bar:chaffee from: 09/01/2004 till: 01/02/2006 color:ltg text:"Adna R. Chaffee" bar:macarthur from: 13/08/1998 till: 05/02/2001 color:mgv bar:macarthur from: 05/02/2001 till: 15/09/2006 color:mg bar:macarthur from: 15/09/2006 till: 02/06/2009 color:ltg text:"Arthur MacArthur Jr." bar:wheatonloyd from: 18/06/2000 till: 28/02/2001 color:mgv bar:wheatonloyd from: 30/03/2001 till: 15/07/2002 color:mg text:"Loyd Wheaton" bar:hughes from: 01/04/2002 till: 11/04/2003 color:mg text:"Robert P. Hughes" bar:batesjohn from: 08/07/1998 till: 13/04/1999 color:mgv bar:batesjohn from: 02/01/2000 till: 28/02/2001 color:mgv bar:batesjohn from: 15/07/2002 till: 01/02/2006 color:mg bar:batesjohn from: 01/02/2006 till: 14/04/2006 color:ltg text:"John C. Bates" bar:davis from: 21/07/2002 till: 26/07/2003 color:mg text:"George W. Davis" bar:breckinridge from: 04/05/1998 till: 30/11/1998 color:mgv bar:breckinridge from: 11/04/2003 till: 12/04/2003 color:mg text:"Joseph C. Breckinridge" bar:ludington from: 12/04/2003 till: 13/04/2003 color:mg text:"Marshall I. Ludington" bar:wade from: 04/05/1998 till: 12/06/1999 color:mgv bar:wade from: 13/04/2003 till: 14/04/2007 color:mg text:"James F. Wade" bar:sumner from: 07/09/1998 till: 15/04/1999 color:mgv bar:sumner from: 26/07/2003 till: 06/02/2006 color:mg text:"Samuel S. Sumner" bar:wood from: 07/12/1998 till: 13/04/1999 color:mgv bar:wood from: 05/12/1999 till: 30/06/2001 color:mgv bar:wood from: 08/08/2003 till: $now color:mg text:"Leonard Wood" bar:kobbe from: 19/01/2004 till: 20/01/2004 color:mg text:"William A. Kobbé" bar:sanger from: 20/01/2004 till: 21/01/2004 color:mg text:"Joseph P. Sanger" bar:batesalfred from: 21/01/2004 till: 22/01/2004 color:mg text:"Alfred E. Bates" bar:randolph from: 22/01/2004 till: 23/01/2004 color:mg text:"Wallace F. Randolph" bar:gillespie from: 23/01/2004 till: 17/06/2005 color:mg text:"George L. Gillespie Jr." bar:ainsworth from: 23/04/2004 till: 16/02/2012 color:mgstaff text:"Frederick C. Ainsworth" bar:story from: 17/06/2005 till: 19/06/2005 color:mg text:"John P. Story" bar:randall from: 19/06/2005 till: 08/10/2005 color:mg text:"George M. Randall" bar:weston from: 08/10/2005 till: 13/11/2009 color:mg text:"John F. Weston" bar:grantfrederick from: 06/02/2006 till: 12/04/2012 color:mg text:"Frederick D. Grant" bar:greely from: 10/02/2006 till: 27/03/2008 color:mg text:"Adolphus W. Greely" bar:leejesse from: 18/09/2006 till: 02/01/2007 color:mg text:"Jesse M. Lee" bar:bell from: 03/01/2007 till: 08/01/2019 color:mg text:"J. Franklin Bell" bar:mccaskey from: 15/04/2007 till: 02/10/2007 color:mg text:"William S. McCaskey" bar:duvall from: 02/10/2007 till: 13/01/2011 color:mg text:"William P. Duvall" bar:hall from: 28/03/2008 till: 29/04/2008 color:mg text:"Charles B. Hall" bar:barry from: 29/04/2008 till: 13/10/2019 color:mg text:"Thomas H. Barry" bar:carter from: 13/11/2009 till: 19/11/2015 color:mg text:"William G. H. Carter" bar:hodges from: 14/01/2011 till: 13/03/2011 color:mg text:"Charles L. Hodges" bar:murray from: 14/03/2011 till: 29/04/2015 color:mg text:"Arthur Murray" bar:wotherspoon from: 12/05/2012 till: 16/11/2014 color:mg text:"William W. Wotherspoon" bar:aleshire from: 24/08/2012 till: 12/09/2016 color:mgstaff text:"James B. Aleshire" bar:goethals from: 04/03/2015 till: 15/11/2016 color:mg text:"George W. Goethals" bar:gorgas from: 04/03/2015 till: 03/10/2018 color:mgstaff text:"William C. Gorgas" bar:funston from: 17/11/2014 till: 19/02/2017 color:mg text:"Frederick Funston" bar:scotthugh from: 30/04/2015 till: 22/09/2017 color:mg text:"Hugh L. Scott" bar:blisstasker from: 19/11/2015 till: 06/10/2017 color:mg bar:blisstasker from: 06/10/2017 till: 19/05/2018 color:gen text:"Tasker H. Bliss" bar:mills from: 03/06/2016 till: 18/09/2016 color:mg text:"Albert L. Mills" bar:weaver from: 06/07/2016 till: 23/05/2018 color:mgstaff text:"Erasmus M. Weaver" bar:sharpe from: 16/09/2016 till: 12/07/2018 color:mgstaff bar:sharpe from: 12/07/2018 till: 01/05/2020 color:mg text:"Henry G. Sharpe" bar:pershing from: 25/09/2016 till: 06/10/2017 color:mg bar:pershing from: 06/10/2017 till: 03/09/2019 color:gen bar:pershing from: 03/09/2019 till: $now color:gen text:"John J. Pershing" bar:liggett from: 06/03/2017 till: 16/10/2018 color:mg bar:liggett from: 16/10/2018 till: $now color:ltg text:"Hunter Liggett" bar:morrison from: 15/05/2017 till: $now color:mg text:"John F. Morrison" bar:morton from: 15/05/2017 till: $now color:mg text:"Charles G. Morton" bar:sibert from: 15/05/2017 till: 04/04/2020 color:mg text:"William L. Sibert" bar:march from: 05/08/2017 till: 23/09/2017 color:mgna bar:march from: 23/09/2017 till: 20/05/2018 color:mg bar:march from: 20/05/2018 till: $now color:gen text:"Peyton C. March" bar:mccain from: 06/10/2017 till: 26/08/2018 color:mgstaff bar:mccain from: 28/08/2018 till: 30/06/2020 color:mgna text:"Henry P. McCain" bar:chamberlain from: 06/10/2017 till: $now color:mgstaff text:"John L. Chamberlain" bar:crowder from: 06/10/2017 till: $now color:mgstaff text:"Enoch H. Crowder" bar:black from: 06/10/2017 till: 31/10/2019 color:mgstaff text:"William M. Black" bar:crozier from: 06/10/2017 till: 12/07/2018 color:mgstaff bar:crozier from: 12/07/2018 till: 01/01/2019 color:mg text:"William Crozier" bar:squier from: 06/10/2017 till: $now color:mgstaff text:"George O. Squier" bar:mcintyre from: 06/10/2017 till: $now color:mgstaff text:"Frank McIntyre" bar:coe from: 24/05/2018 till: $now color:mgstaff text:"Frank W. Coe" bar:williams from: 16/07/2018 till: $now color:mgstaff text:"Clarence C. Williams" bar:rogers from: 22/07/2018 till: $now color:mgstaff text:"Harry L. Rogers" bar:harris from: 01/09/2018 till: $now color:mgstaff text:"Peter C. Harris" bar:ireland from: 08/08/2018 till: $now color:mgstaff text:"Merritte W. Ireland" bar:noble from: 30/10/2018 till: 21/08/2019 color:mgstaff text:"Robert E. Noble" bar:bullard from: 05/08/2017 till: 16/10/2018 color:mgna bar:bullard from: 16/10/2018 till: $now color:ltg text:"Robert L. Bullard" bar:dickman from: 05/08/2017 till: 09/01/2019 color:mgna bar:dickman from: 09/01/2019 till: $now color:mg text:"Joseph T. Dickman" bar:harbord from: 26/06/2018 till: 08/09/2019 color:mgna bar:harbord from: 08/09/2019 till: $now color:mg text:"James G. Harbord" bar:kernan from: 05/08/2017 till: 14/10/2019 color:mgna bar:kernan from: 14/10/2019 till: $now color:mg text:"Francis J. Kernan" bar:beach from: 09/01/2020 till: $now color:mgstaff text:"Lansing H. Beach" bar:summerall from: 26/06/2018 till: 05/04/2020 color:mgna bar:summerall from: 05/04/2020 till: $now color:mg text:"Charles P. Summerall" History Northwest Indian War ]] The first major general in the Regular Army was Arthur St. Clair, who was appointed in 1791 to prosecute the Northwest Indian War. After the disastrous Battle of the Wabash, St. Clair was replaced by Anthony Wayne, who successfully concluded the war in 1795. Wayne died in December 1796 and the grade of major general was abolished three months later.Acts of March 3, 1791, and March 3, 1797. Quasi-War After sixteen months in abeyance, the grade of major general was revived in 1798 when the Regular Army was expanded during the Quasi-War with France. As part of the buildup, Congress authorized a lieutenant general, two major generals, and an inspector general and a quartermaster general with the rank of major general. Only one of the two line major general slots was ultimately filled; the other was declined by Henry Knox, who refused to be outranked by the designated inspector general, Alexander Hamilton, who had been junior to Knox in the Continental Army during the American Revolutionary War. The President was also authorized to temporarily augment the Regular Army with a Provisional Army, but it was never fully organized. When tensions eased, the Provisional Army was disbanded and the maximum Regular Army rank was again reduced to brigadier general.Acts of July 16, 1798; March 3, 1799; and March 16, 1802. For Knox-Hamilton dispute, see Chernow, pp. 557–560. War of 1812 ]] ]] The grade of major general was revived permanently when the military establishment expanded in anticipation of the War of 1812. The first two major generals were Revolutionary War veterans Henry Dearborn and Thomas Pinckney. After a year of defeats, Dearborn was relieved and four more major generals were appointed: James Wilkinson, Wade Hampton, Morgan Lewis, and William Henry Harrison. A year later, all four had been court-martialled, sidelined, or driven to resign, and George Izard, Jacob J. Brown, and Andrew Jackson were promoted in their place.Acts of January 11, 1812, and February 24, 1813. For background on general officer replacements, see Bell, p. 9, and Elting, p. 177. After the war, the number of major generals was reduced to two, Brown and Jackson. In 1821 Congress eliminated the second major generalcy and Jackson departed the Army to become governor of Florida, leaving Brown to become the first Commanding General of the Army.Acts of March 3, 1815, and March 2, 1821. Bell, pp. 10–11. When Brown died in 1828, the Army's two brigadier generals, Winfield Scott and Edmund P. Gaines, waged such a bitter public campaign for the vacant major generalcy that the President passed them both over in favor of Alexander Macomb. Macomb died in 1841 and was succeeded by Scott.Bell, pp. 12–14; for details of Scott-Gaines-Macomb dispute, see Fry, pp. 96–131. Mexican War Scott remained the Army's senior officer during the Mexican War. After the outbreak of hostilities in 1846, Congress temporarily authorized a second major general on the condition that he be immediately discharged upon the ratification of a peace treaty, and the Army's three brigadier generals were passed over in favor of Zachary Taylor, victor at Palo Alto and Resaca de la Palma. Two more major generals were authorized the following year on the same basis, Gideon J. Pillow and John A. Quitman. After the war, the extra major generals were duly discharged and Scott again became the Army's only major general. Scott was breveted lieutenant general in 1855 but continued to occupy the substantive grade of major general until he retired in 1861.Acts of June 18, 1846; March 3, 1847; and July 19, 1848. For background, see Wade (1976) and Winders, pp. 32–49. Civil War ]] During the American Civil War, the bulk of the Union Army was composed of volunteer forces raised by individual states and led by dozens of federally appointed major generals of volunteers. The Regular Army itself was authorized a total of five major generals. Three of the new vacancies were filled immediately by former Regular Army officers George B. McClellan, John C. Frémont, and Henry W. Halleck, while Regular Army brigadier general John E. Wool was promoted for capturing Norfolk, Virginia, during the Peninsular Campaign. Subsequent appointments were reserved as prizes for major generals of volunteers who won decisive battlefield victories: Ulysses S. Grant for Vicksburg, William T. Sherman for Atlanta, George G. Meade for Spotsylvania, Philip H. Sheridan for Cedar Creek, and George H. Thomas for Nashville.Adjutant General's Office, Department of War, Gen. Orders No. 111 (18 August 1862); Eicher and Eicher, pp. 20, 581. For background, see Wade (1976). When the volunteers were disbanded after the war, its Regular Army officers reverted to their permanent grades. Many of the most famous Union Army major generals had been appointed to that rank only in the volunteer service and did not achieve the equivalent grade in the Regular Army until years or decades later, if ever. For example, upon mustering out of the volunteers in 1869, Oliver O. Howard reverted to his permanent Regular Army grade of colonel and had to wait until 1886 to again be promoted to major general; while George A. Custer never regained his wartime rank in the Regular Army and died as a lieutenant colonel.Act of July 15, 1870. Eicher and Eicher, pp. 196, 306. Of the dozens of major generals of volunteers who lost their temporary ranks after the Civil War, only nine ever attained the permanent grade of major general in the Regular Army before they retired.The nine Civil War major generals of volunteers who lost but eventually regained the active-duty rank of major general were John M. Schofield, Irvin McDowell, John Pope, Alfred H. Terry, Oliver O. Howard, George Crook, Nelson A. Miles, Alexander M. McCook, and Wesley Merritt. See Heitman, pp. 19–20, 28–29, for lists of major generals and major generals of volunteers; and Heitman, pp. 340, 546–547, 659, 664, 706, 708–709, 798, 865, 951, for relevant biographical entries. Postwar ]] After the Civil War, promotions in the Regular Army virtually ceased due to the reduction in the size of the Army and the youth of its remaining officers. The postwar Army had only three major generalcies, which initially were held by officers whose rapid wartime promotions had advanced them to high command at such a young age that they could occupy the coveted grade for decades, obstructing further promotions. For example, John M. Schofield held his major generalcy for nearly 26 years, and Winfield S. Hancock for nearly twenty.Wade (1976); Eicher and Eicher, pp. 277–278, 472–473. To unblock the promotion flow, Congress mandated in 1882 that officers must retire at age 64, but could retire sooner if they had at least forty years of service. Because officers nearing the age limit could now conveniently select their exit dates to coincide with vacancies in higher grades, it became common to fill each vacancy with a parade of aging veterans who would each be promoted and immediately retired with the higher rank and retired pay, as a reward for past service. In January 1904, for example, a single vacant major generalcy hosted five officers in five days, each of the first four in turn being promoted and then retired after only one day in grade to clear the way for the next. Congress blocked this practice in 1906 by requiring that general officers serve at least one year before being allowed to retire at that rank, except for age or disability.Acts of June 30, 1882, and June 12, 1906. For background, see Wade (1976); . The four one-day major generals in this sequence were William A. Kobbé, Joseph P. Sanger, Alfred E. Bates, and Wallace F. Randolph. The fifth major general, George L. Gillespie Jr., retired after eighteen months and was succeeded by John P. Story, who retired two days later. Major generals of the staff ]] Officers in the Regular Army were classified either as line officers, who commanded combat formations, or staff officers, who performed specialized support functions. Permanent promotions to general officer grades were only available in the line. Staff officers could temporarily acquire the rank and pay of a general officer while detailed to certain offices designated by statute to carry that rank, such as chief of a staff bureau, but reverted to their permanent grades upon leaving such an office. Officers holding the permanent personal grade of general officer were called general officers of the line, while general officers holding only temporary ex-officio rank were called general officers of the staff.For statutory definitions of "general officer of the line" and "general officer of the staff," see Sec. 4, Act of June 3, 1916.For a contemporary perspective on promotions to general officer from the line and staff during this period, see Carter, pp. 236–238. For most of the nineteenth century, general officers of the staff were limited to the rank of brigadier general, but in 1900 the rank of the Adjutant General was temporarily increased to major general for the term of its then-incumbent, Henry C. Corbin.Acts of June 6, 1900, and February 2, 1901. Eicher and Eicher, pp. 15–22. In 1904 Corbin transferred to a line command but retained the office of Adjutant General and its associated rank. In his absence, the Adjutant General's Department was merged with the Record and Pension Office into a consolidated bureau headed by Fred C. Ainsworth, who was appointed Military Secretary with the rank of major general.Act of April 23, 1904. For background, see . The Military Secretary was retitled Adjutant General after Corbin retired in 1906, and the office's rank reverted to brigadier general when Ainsworth was dismissed in 1912.Act of March 2, 1907. For Ainsworth dismissal, see Bell, pp. 31–33. Major generals of the staff proliferated after 1912, when the Quartermaster Corps was created under a Quartermaster General bearing the temporary rank of major general. The Surgeon General reached that rank in 1915 when William C. Gorgas was appointed to that post and promoted to major general in the Medical Department to reward his service during the construction of the Panama Canal. The Chief of Coast Artillery became a major general of the staff in 1916. Finally, every other chief of a staff corps, department, or bureau was elevated to major general on October 6, 1917.Acts of August 24, 1912; March 4, 1915 (b); July 6, 1916; and October 6, 1917. World War I ]] When the United States entered World War I in April 1917, the President was authorized to raise a temporary force of volunteers and conscripts, initially dubbed the National Army and later referred to as the non-permanent establishment of the United States Army after the Regular Army, National Army, and federalized National Guard were unified on August 7, 1918.The National Army was authorized by the Act of May 22, 1917. On August 7, 1918, the National Army, Regular Army, and federalized National Guard were unified into a single United States Army by Headquarters, Department of the Army, Gen. Orders No. 73 (7 August 1918). For background, see Coffman, pp. 129–130. Congress also granted authority to add an appropriate number of general officers to each organization "for the period of the existing emergency," which at first was used only for temporary appointments to major general and brigadier general in the National Army, but was later construed to allow emergency appointments to general and lieutenant general in the Regular Army.Acts of May 22, 1917, and October 6, 1917. Officers appointed under this provision are listed in the Army Register (1936) as "gen. (emerg.)" or "lt.gen. (emerg.)" in the permanent establishment. In July 1918 an emergency major general was authorized for service abroad as Assistant Surgeon General with the American Expeditionary Force; Merritte W. Ireland was appointed, followed by Robert E. Noble when Ireland became Surgeon General later that year.Act of July 9, 1918. For background, see Opinions of the Judge Advocate General of the Army, 1918, vol. II, pp. 574–575 and 632. Officers appointed under this provision are listed in the Army Register (1936) as "maj.gen. U.S.A. (a.surg.gen. A.E.F. emerg.)" in the permanent establishment. In contrast to the temporary general officers of the National Army or unified United States Army, emergency general officers were considered part of the permanent establishment. All emergency and temporary commissions expired with the wartime legislation on June 30, 1920. After the war the Army was reorganized and the new peacetime establishment was authorized 21 major generals of the line, more than doubling the previous number, plus 13 major generals of the staff, including the newly created Chiefs of Infantry, Cavalry, and Field Artillery. The reorganization took effect on July 1, 1920.Act of June 4, 1920. Legislative history The following list of Congressional legislation includes all acts of Congress directly pertaining to appointments to the grade of major general in the Regular Army.Legislative history compiled from: Callan; Eicher and Eicher; the Army Register; Military Laws of the United States, 1939; and Young. It does not include legislation pertaining solely to appointments to that grade in the non-permanent establishment, or by brevet. Each entry lists an act of Congress, its citation in the United States Statutes at Large, the total number of active-duty major generals authorized subsequent to the act, the subsequent number of active-duty major generals of the line, the subsequent number of active-duty major generals of the staff, and a summary of the act's relevance. See also *Major general (United States) *General officers in the United States *List of American Civil War generals *List of United States Army four-star generals *List of lieutenant generals in the United States Army before 1960 Notes References * * * * * * }} * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * Category:American military personnel United States Regular Army before July 1, 1920, major generals United States Regular Army before July 1, 1920, major generals Category:Military ranks of the United States Category:Military ranks of the United States Army Category:American generals Category:Union Army generals Category:United States Army generals of World War I Regular Army major generals before July 1, 1920